Ding Dong Cupcakes

Well despite all the Easter eggs I have consumed this past week, I still have chocolate on my mind and also on the menu today with a special copycat recipe. These homemade Hostess Ding Dong Cupcakes pay homage to an American classic.

Soft and fluffy chocolate cakes, filled with a sticky marshmallow filling and topped with dripping chocolate ganache. What a treat! Of course, it can’t be a Hostess cake without that signature swirl! Ding Dong fans and any chocoholic will love this recipe. Not only are they decadent and delicious, they are really fun to make!

Do you have Hostess Ding Dongs where you live? We actually don’t have them here in Australia. But we have grown up hearing about them, along with Twinkies, Yodels and Hohos, thanks to American TV. In fact, one of my favourite things to do when we visit America, is try all the different foods we have heard about for so long.

From candy to cereal, I love wandering the supermarket aisles looking at the different food products and spotting familiar ones. Last time we visited, my suitcase was overflowing with graham crackers, nila wafers, fruity pebbles and butterscotch chips .

I reckon these Ding Dong Cupcakes taste pretty darn good. The chocolate cupcakes are an easy mix recipe that I’ve used before in my Rocky Road Cupcakes. They are then filled with a sticky homemade marshmallow filling which tastes just like marshmallow fluff or marshmallow creme (another ingredient we don’t have).

Finally, the icing on the cake, so to speak, is a topping of gooey dark chocolate ganache. I like to remove the cupcake liners and let the ganache dribble down the sides of the cake. And then there’s the little swirl made from vanilla buttercream.

It really is the perfect cake for chocolate lovers. I actually remember having a very similar cupcake at Sprinkles Bakery in Los Angeles last year. I remember buying it and sitting down at the Grove in Los Angeles to eat it. A lady looked at me a little strangely as I pulled out my camera to take a photo of the inside of it #foodbloggerlife.

Ding Dong Cupcakes

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Hi there, I'm Jess. My life changed forever when my travels to the USA opened my eyes to wonderful things like smores milkshakes, red velvet cake and New York cheesecake. Now I love to spend my days creating American-inspired desserts. Read More.

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Comments

These look just like the real thing, Jess! I used to get these in my lunch all the time when I was in elementary school. Mom would pack them in knowing I absolutely loved them. These look so so yummy! <3

Yesssss, I think you nailed this one, Jess! I loveeeeee that drippy chocolate topping, and you’re smart to take off the wrapper and let the whole cupcake get in on the fun. I’m so sad for you that you don’t have marshmallow creme either! What a travesty! But it looks like you had no trouble figuring out how to get around that one 🙂 looks scrumptious!

I hadn’t actually even heard of Ding Dongs before! America gets so many chocolate bars haha. If they are anything like these cupcakes though I’m sure I’d like them – love that gooey meringue and thick ganache! And chocolate, of course. I actually didn’t end up eating much chocolate at easter (weird, I know) but I guess that means I can make up for it now with these? <3

These are just delightful Jess! I’ve never tried a ding dong but now I know that I can make a gluten free version at home! I need to try these stat! I am the same whenever I travel too – I love strolling through supermarkets and pharmacies just to see how different (or similar) our products are! And there’s nothing like the offerings of a US supermarket baking aisle!

Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles were definitely my cereals of choice growing up. Instant sugar high. Haha. It has been so long since I’ve had a Ding Dong. We used to take them camping and warm them up a little over the fire. 😉 These look like a blast to make and I’m sure they taste a million times better. Perfect!